All That Glitters
by Kaitlinbell
Summary: Marco disapears to God only knows where, and Dylan thought he had his life together. His sister, her girlfriend, and him run a Design company. He doesnt think that could get him into any trouble. How wrong he is. Darco and Pellie
1. Default Chapter

Now for something a bit different. This is a joint fic. Which basically means, it's not written by one author, but two. The plot line was pulled out of the air by Lucy (citygal509) as is almost all the other focal issues and ideas, and this chapter is basically cut directly in half between our written parts. That style will more than likely change as the story goes on so don't settle into one set feel.

Through this story the main running theme is a modeling/fashion agency known as Pellie Designs. Lucy and I however are not responsible for that work of genius. Jade Danielle and Ally had quite an amusing messenger conversation and it was brought up and since it was absolutely brilliant we took the liberty of taking that small idea and turning it into an actual fic. And we thank them both for the idea, which we now dedicate the chapter to. We would also like to dedicate it to Melissa (Anjel919) our beta, for helping us with so many fics. Our writing grew with your help Melissa so thank you.

We hope you all enjoy this

Lucy (citygal509) and Kate (Kaitlinbell)

* * *

_"You are such a disgrace to this family! Sleeping with another man! Holding hands, kissing in public! How can you even CALL yourself a man after the sin you have brought to this family..." Mr. Del Rossi's speech slowed, becoming lower and more deadly, a rough hiss that belied his disgust more than words ever could. "It is..._unspeakable_ what you have done."_

_Marco closed his eyes tightly and clenched the fists behind his back tighter, feeling nails dig painfully into the soft flesh of his palms. He had worried about this day since he first realized he was gay. In fact, most times in those fake visions he stood proud in front of his father and took it like water on a duck's back. Sometimes he was beaten. Sometimes it turned out better than he had hoped. But each and every one he always had his jaw set in a tight line and he didn't back down after admitting who he truly was._

_Somehow, it was hard to keep up this vision when confronted with the real thing. His father stood feet away from him as if disgusted, fearing to touch him like he was diseased. The beatings seemed like such a far cry now. And the man's eyes...he could tell that the man hated having to say every word. He could tell that he was reliving every good moment he had ever had with him...and hating that he had to throw it all away because his son was a pervert. But...it was his choice to make._

_"You have ten minutes to collect what things you can carry and then I want you out of this house. You are not to darken our doorstep any longer. Understood?"_

_Marco eyed his father stonily and calmly, keeping the tears in check and nodded with a jerk. Dropping his eyes to the floor he hurried to leave the kitchen and find the sanctuary of his room one last time._

_"Before you go...sit down," his father called at his retreating back. Marco almost wanted to keep walking...but instead he turned to face the man who was kicking him out of the only place he called home and stared with an almost awkward mix of indolence and obedience. The man pointed a fat finger at one of the chairs pulled away from the dining table. "Sit. Now. Do not make me say it again."_

_And Marco did, glaring up hotly and finally noticing the hot burn of tears rising up. The portly man moved to stand behind him and before he could stand the metallic snip of a pair of scissors sounded through the air._

_"I do not know why I allowed you to wear your hair like a fruity boy. Your mama was a bad influence." _

_Snip, snip. Marco clenched his fingers bitterly into his pant legs and glared forward at the tabletop not daring to move but listening to the awful clip of the blades through his hair. The hair that he had spent so long growing out and meticulously taking care of. The hair that garnered compliments from every person he had ever met whether they be girl or boy, gay or straight. It was the one thing about his appearance that he ever really and truly loved._

_And with a final harsh snip...it was gone._

_"Now go pack your things. You now have five minutes."_

_And Marco did. He stood up from the chair, cast an agonizing glance to the fallen hair on the floor, glared heatedly at his father...and then simply walked away to the upstairs._

_He wasn't a Del Rossi anymore._

_The first thing he grabbed, even before his clothes, was a bottle of expensive Italian shampoo from the bathroom. His hair, he decided, would be the first thing taken care of. See if he let a man that let tradition come between blood keep him away from such a small and trivial pleasure._

_He didn't need to be a Del Rossi._

Beep beep beep beep beep...

Groaning into the sweet smelling pillow his face was currently smashing into Marco decided that, once again, he absolutely hated Mondays. In fact, he loathed them.

The alarm continued screaming on the nightstand however, and he was forced out of his Monday bashing as he very slowly opened his eyes. He glared at the early morning pink of sunrise drifting in lazily through the billowing curtains around his window and decided he rather loathed mornings as well. Giving up on the lame idea of five more minutes he sat up and moved his glare to the alarm clock, reaching up a sleep leaden arm to turn it off. He shifted and groaned and finally sat up correctly, staring down at his toes.

Hearing the birds outside Marco finally stood up and stretched luxuriously, feeling the delicate pop of bones in his shoulders. Sounds of people waking and starting their days down in the towns squares drifted up to him on a strong breeze as he walked out onto his balcony. Below him the streets of Rome remained uncrowded and quiet so early in the morning, a pleasant change from the bustle and energy that roared up by noon and later. Marco took a deep breath and turned back around, heading back into his apartment.

After college he had immediately headed to Roma for a career in advertising. And what he had found here had been far, far more than the simple desk job he had expected. A development he didn't dislike in the least. He was quite well off, if his apartment was a testament to his yearly income at all. He spent a third of his income on charities and other such functions, but the two thirds left to his name was more than enough to make sure he was well off.

Quite well off even.

After taking a quick shower Marco ran about his room making sure he had everything packed for the flight. He had a business meeting in Toronto this week with one of the highest acclaimed fashion agencies in the business and he was doing a mandatory contract change to make sure business flowed easily from one company to the other. It was actually, in fact, his first transfer and he was a bit nervous.

Maybe because this time he knew who his boss to be was.

Satisfied that he did indeed have everything packed Marco picked up his cell and called his manager. "Domani...yes. The flight leaves in an hours time. You will phone me when I arrive in Toronto? Si. Ciao," he ended the phone conversation with a smile and immediately rang the desk downstairs to make sure his ride was scheduled properly and that his luggage would be taken care of as well as his apartment for the two months or longer he would be gone.

If he made a big break...maybe he would be staying.

Before leaving and locking up after himself he stopped at the mirror by his front door and tossed his hair to the side, running thin fingers through it, straightening it, and combing it into place. It always pleased him beyond recognition to be able to toy with his own hair again after a year of painfully trying to grow it back. It hung rakishly into his eyes, red streaks shocking through in pleasing places, and one side tucked behind his ear.

He didn't need to be a Del Rossi anymore.

He was Marco. And he was very well off if he did say so himself.

_--------------------------------_

It was quite a sight, Paige walking into Pellie Designs on Monday morning. She had what some would call grace, carrying her portfolio, talking on her cell phone, and telling her multiple assistants what do that morning all at the same time. Her Blonde hair, curling naturally with small light pink highlights framing her face was already tied up in a bun ready for work.

On the other side of the room, a red head watched her make her way closer. The brown eyes followed the blonde, until the sniggering of a person next to her brought her out of it.

"I would have never thought I'd see: one, Paige in pink highlights; two, her looking professional. You've done wonders El."

She smiled at the blond next to her. "Thanks, Dyl. She could have been professional with out me, but I'd like to think the highlights are due to me. Anyways, what did you think of the last layout?"

Dylan ran his hand through his long blonde curls. His sky blue eyes clouded as he was thinking. "They were good, but whatever model that is-,"

"I know. That's what we thought too. We already have an ad up on the site, and a couple interviews lined up," she beamed a small smile up to Dylan.

"You all seem to have it together. I don't know why you even need me as a consultant." Dylan smiled down at Ellie.

"Oh come on big bro, give yourself some credit. You _do_ deserve some of it. You are the biggest sponsor, and the fact that you have good taste," Paige said from behind, her voice giving off the oh-so Paige tone that he knew so well.

He turned to face her smirking at him; almost beaming. "Oh, I _do _deserve some credit, huh? Enlighten me, dear sister."

Paige rolled her eyes. "Stop playing dumb Dylan. As much as you whine, complain, and say how much you hate working in the modeling business; you know you love it. And you're good at it too."

When Dylan looked away, Paige knew she had him. Her smile brightened; if it was at all possible. "I hate it when you're right."

"Oh, but I love it." She gave him a bright smile before turning to her fiancé. "Hey love. Thanks for the breakfast. It was good. Why didn't you wait for me?"

Ellie looked at her with a small smile playing on her lips. "I had a couple things to do; and you know I like to watch your entrance instead of being with or behind you when you make it."

Paige closed the gap between them and was about to kiss Ellie, when a voice interrupted.

"Ms. Nash, Ms. Michalchuk, you have a call on line one. Says it's urgent and that they need to speak to you specifically. I already tried to see if I could transfer to one of your vices but he says he will only speak to you. I'm sorry for bothering you," Paige's personal assistant Lilly said.

"Thanks Lilly. We'll go take it in the conference room. Dylan, if you will excuse us? I left some letters for you on your desk; magazines that want to feature us in them and a couple of stages that would love to host the upcoming fashion show. I need you to decide on those things. Also I am expecting a phone call from someone in New York about fashion week. I was thinking that maybe you could take that," Ellie said in all one breath. She pulled her longish red hair with black streaks up into a bun.

"Always the professional, huh El?" Dylan replied his eyes dancing with anticipation with the mention of today's jobs. He had been a professional hockey player since his sophomore year in University, when four years ago he hurt his knee and was never able to play hockey again. He still did some publicity and appearances for the sports world, but that door of his life had closed. The only thing that was there to remind him of it was the money and the fan mail he still got almost every day.

The new love of his life was the model/design world. As he couldn't draw, he was the business manger and biggest sponsor for Pellie Designs; the designs company that Paige and Ellie set up. When they first started out, when he was still playing hockey, it had just been Paige and Ellie designing the clothing, and a couple other employees with the help of savings and donations to have a couple small fashion shows a year. One day, a year or two after Dylan started to work full time there; a fashion editor from Elle had stopped at a boutique in downtown Toronto and found a perfect outfit. She had to ask who designed it and found out about Pellie Designs. She called them and set up a shoot for the next issue of Elle. When the editor in chief saw the layout she had insisted they have a show during Fashion week in New York. The magazine would help host and publicize it. The show had been a great success, and they were the designs that everyone was talking about in the States and in Canada. They quickly rose to fame, and their small company was now a big one.

"She's not _always _professional. Isn't that right, Boo?" The voice of his sister brought him out of his blast from the past.

Paige kissed Ellie on the cheek, and grabbed her hand as she started leading the way to the conference room. "Have fun, big bro." She turned around, blew him a kiss, turned back, and sauntered off down the hall, Ellie following right behind her.

"Someone had a little _too much_ coffee," she heard him mutter good-naturedly as they walked away.

As they walked down the long hall leading to the conference room they said hello to many people: their interns, models, tailors, seamstresses, and other lesser designers of the firm. Ellie smiled as she thought about how they had progressed into to so much more than she had planned.

The hall was all to short and they where at the door to the conference room. She wondered what kind of bitchy person they would have to deal with today. They had always had to deal with bitchy people; bitchy models, agents, managers, and editors, just to name a few.

They entered the room, the sunlight streaming through the large windows giving the room some natural light. The sat down in the over stuffed rolling chairs at the end of the table. The conference speaker set between them. Ellie nodded at Paige before turning on the phone. "Hello, Ellie Nash and Paige Michalchuk from Pellie Designs here. How may we help you?"

"El? Paige?" a familiar voice from their past with a slight Italian accent asked.

"Marco, hun, is that you?" Paige said, her voice quivering slightly in disbelief. It had been years since they heard from Marco. They had heard a rumor that he was a big shot model in Italy, but how busy they were with work they never really checked into the rumor. She stared wide eyed at the speaker and then up at Ellie, to match the same wide eyed expression.

"Yeah Paige, it's me. Look I don't have that much time on the phone. Calling people on international flights cost a lot of money. I heard that you were looking for a tan male model. My agent emailed you my resume and photos a little while ago. I am going to be arriving in Toronto at four. I'll call you when I get in. We'll have dinner tonight, my treat. I've got to go, sorry. Ciao."

They looked down at the speaker, and back at the other. Both having the same expression. Both having the same thought, "That was Marco?"

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	2. Chapter 2

Marco glanced out the plane's window as he hung up the phone and sighed, resting his forehead against the cool glass. The first...difficult task so to speak, had been performed. He'd made first contact and he'd divulged who he was to his unsuspecting long ago friends. Now all that remained was a few hours of mindless plane travel before arrival and an immediate drive to their office.

Where he would see them all face to face for the first time in many many years.

He sighed again, batting away the urge to beat his head against the window in frustration and helplessness. He had watched Ellie and Paige slowly migrate towards each other eleventh and twelth year. And as could be seen from the thousands of tabloids and fashion magazines that reached him in Italy...they were far far from the hesitant relationship during high school, blossoming into a very beautiful and loving couple. He envied them greatly in their happiness as much as he applauded them on their good fortune.

Then of course, as the articles would have him know, Dylan was the third party in this unstoppable trio, working as consultant and a regular second in command to the girls. In the modeling business. He knew Dylan had always had a taste for beauty and aesthetics...however he had never fingered him as one to completely immerse himself in this world. And yet, here he was, proven wrong and time and time again caught the same pair of magnetic blue eyes from his adolescense staring back at him alongside his sister and friend from glossy magazine pages.

It...was a hard realization to swallow truth be told.

To think. A few hours was all he had left before the inevitable happened and he was reunited with these three that had once meant so much to him. And this time...instead of confidant, best friend, or class president...he was to be the employee.

Daunting, he decided, was a perfect word for the mental trip he was about to take.

* * *

Paige sat at her desk thinking. Marco was coming back. He was going to reappear in their life. One of her best friends was coming back. After high school, Jimmy and Hazel had gotten married. They had moved to Florida where Jimmy coached high school basketball. He was still stuck in the wheel chair. She heard from Hazel once or twice a month, and she missed her. Ashley had stayed in England with her father after leaving the summer after Grade 11. Craig she had actually stayed in touch with. He was one of their most used photographers. He helped take care of Angela, who actually now was going to Degrassi. She missed all of her best friends who left her, Marco more than any.

When she thought of Marco her mind automatically went to her brother. How he would take Marco coming back, she didn't know. He hadn't quite gotten over Marco dumping him. Actually he never did. He had had a couple of boyfriends since then, but never a real relationship.

"Honey, what's on your mind? You haven't noticed me standing here for the last five minutes," a voice asked.

She looked up to see Keith. Keith was one of her models that did regular shoots. He had dark blue eyes and blond hair buzzed close to his head. He was not short or fat, but wasn't exactly tall or skinny either. Just right. He was the only long-term relationship that Dylan had had with anyone after Marco. In the end, though they decided that their relationship was best as friends, though they would go on dates occasionally.

"Oh, just thinking. Is Craig ready to start the shoot?"

He gave her a look of concern and nodded. "Yeah, and Kathy needs you to tell her how you want the make up for the models to look. But really, hun, what's wrong?"

"Okay, you know Marco Del Rossi, Dylan's old boyfriend? Ellie's and my best friend from high school? Well, it turns out that those modeling rumors are true. He is coming back to try for the summer shoot. Want to see his pictures?"

Paige took Keith's silence for a yes, and opened the slide show onto the screen.

The first picture was of Marco leaning against a chain linked fence looking at something behind the camera. He had grown somewhat taller, but was still slightly shorter than average. His body though had elongated. His hair hung in his eyes with red highlights arranged in his hair just so. His eyes were a deeper brown than Paige remembered. They were slightly smudged with black liner just enough to bring them out.

The next picture popped on the screen. It was a close up of his face. His eyes. His eyes were so piercing that you almost wanted to turn away, but then you didn't. They oddly entranced you, making you look at eyes that were not happy. That had seen more things than anyone would think. He still had the soul patch that he had had in high school. That was the only facial hair he had. The slide show ran through many other pictures, very similar to the first two. They kept Paige and Keith entranced for the next few minutes.

When it was done, Paige turned to look at Keith. He was still staring at the black computer screen. "So what do you think?"

Keith ran his hands over his hair. "He definitely will be a positive addition to the company. He's hott. I can see why Dylan liked him." He specifically put the past tense on liked, though he knew it was still there. Deep in his heart he wished it could have worked between them

"He is much more handsome than he was in high school. In high school he wasn't exactly hot. Cute more than anything. He has really grown up. But come on. We better go before Kathy has a fit."

He nodded as she got up and started to walk down the hallway. He stared one last time at the screen and jogged to catch up with her.

He wanted to know what this Marco was doing back.

* * *

As far as he knew his employers were busy with a shoot at the moment and according to their lovely secretary he had a half hour to wait. However, if Paige was even a third of the girl he once knew, he had fifteen minutes tops. Taking a deep breath Marco smiled at who he believed he remembered hearing being called Lilly and walked to the nearest restroom, his small carry on under his arm.

The bag was small, plain, simple black leather with creme stitching. Not extraordinary at all. In fact, understated. However, it did not hide the fact it was quite expensive. Or the fact that it was full. Casting a wary eye at his reflection Marco felt the overwhelming urge to start twitching. His skin looked a bit uneven above his eyebrows and horridly pale in the hollow beside his eyes. It looked like the roots of his hair were showing small signs of lightening and he had bruises underneath his eyes.

Pitiful, he decided. Absolutely horrid. Unzipping the bag with a sigh he set to work, all sorts of cosmetics suddenly littering the sink. As he was slowly and methodically applying a ring of eyeliner, avoiding eyelashes and leaning painfully against the porcelain rim of the sink to get his face hovering closer to the mirror, he heard the door of the restroom open and close quietly.

Glancing to the man who had entered through the mirror's reflection Marco decided he was definitely a model. No, the man's face, body, even expression didn't give him away, though they were beyond pleasing to the eye. It was the walk. That was basically the _only_ way to tell truth be told, if you wanted to get technical. Even if you only walk runway once, it sticks with you subconciously as Marco knew well. And from the looks of it, this man was a highly trained model at that. He was a good deal stockier then he was but also built far more solidly and more masculinely. His hair was cut very short, but when the lights bounced off correctly the flaxen color was obvious. His eyes were heavily hooded but the blue that shined out was seductive and playful. He had large, wide hands...man hands. It was obvious, though his walk was what gave him away, that this man was a very formidable modeling opponent.

The man stopped at a urinal a few feet away from Marco and began attending to his business, casting a glance at him as he turned to finish his eyes. "You're Marco Del Rossi aren't you? The model applying for the summer spread?"

Marco glanced out of the corner of his eye and smiled slightly, the shy smile from when he was younger that he was complimented on so often. "Um...yes I am. I flew in from Rome this morning. How on earth did you guess who I was?" He was quite taken aback to be honest.

"Quite easy," the man said with a shrug. "Your earlier phone call to Paige and Ellie. They were quite shocked to say the least. And I've heard mentions of you from time to time. Dylan...has spoken of you once or twice."

The Italian blinked rapidly and broke eye contact at the mention of his friends, turning back to the mirror with a small insecure smile. He could hear the man finish and walk over, turning on the tap next to him and beginning to wash his hands. "I'm Keith by the way. I've been a model for a few years now and I'll be watching over your shoot as well as standing as your partner in the second half."

He felt ice slip into his stomach suddenly as he looked up to stare at this Keith. To say he was intimidated would be a bit of an understatement. This man, as could be seen from his walk earlier, was one of the big sharks of the company so to speak. Older, wiser, more connected, and had more say in everything. While, himself, he was at the very beginning of the food chain.

"I look forward to working with you then," he said with as much politeness as possible.

"As do I," Keith replied, raising a sardonic eyebrow and smirking in a photo worthy way.

Marco suddenly felt as if his balance was skewed, his equilibrium shot. "I...well. It was nice meeting you. I should probably head back to the waiting room," he mumbled packing all the items back into the bag before slipping away out the door without a sound.

That experience had been...surreal. As if his mind was not worried enough about returning to Toronto, now he had a senior model judging him. He was far from pretending he did not have the makings of a great and highly acclaimed model. He had climbed through the ranks in Italy without batting an eye. But he supposed in such a new enviroment, the shy child in himself was clawing at the back of his mind.

Or perhaps it was the people here.

It would seem...he was not as far and forgotten as he had hoped, which could perhaps create problems later if he were unlucky. He had been banking on the fact that any history between them was well and truly buried and that this job would come to him on talent, experience, and looks alone. Then again, he was still not entirely sure if their reactions had been positive either. He had hung up rather quickly with that rubbish excuse of the phone call being expensive. As if he really had to worry about things like that.

But he certainly didn't want to have small talk with long lost friends on a phone of all things. It was an insult to memory.

Sighing, Marco dropped gracefully down onto the tan leather couch in the waiting room and brought out his cell phone, starting up a mindless game to pass the short time between now and the aforementioned meeting.

The fact that he lost the first round didn't ease his nerves.

* * *

The shoot was in one of the large upstairs rooms. The backgrounds and props were set in the corner, close to where the set up for the pictures being taken at the moment were set.

Paige and Keith made their way to the make up and hair room. When they entered, a small Asian lady with short black hair rushed over.

"Thank God you got here, Ms. Michalchuk. How do you want it? We only have two days til this needs to be sent in. This has to be perfect," the lady said in less then a minute.

"Kathy, hun, calm down. You know what you're doing. You are the best of the best. Yes, I know it's the most important shoot of the season, but you can do it. You have always given us the best quality work. You know that's why we keep you on. Today we are going for the natural look. Try to get as close to their natraul tone as possible. Just a smudge of liner not much more. Where is Ellie by the way?"

"El's in with Jen in the wardrobe making sure that the models are dressed right," Keith answered.

"And why aren't you in there? You know your job as one of our senior models," she said with a small smirk.

"Because I knew you would need me and that you like to tell me what to do or what I'm doing wrong," he countered back as he was exiting the room.

When she went out to see the set up, she saw her brother talking to Craig off at the side. "What are you doing here Dyl? Shouldn't you be working on today's jobs?"

"I already finished, sis. Thought I'd come watch before Keith and I go to dinner," he said with a small smile, as he saw Keith walk out of the dressing room.

"So he's your boyfriend today?"

"No, sis. Just friends today." He gave her a look that meant not to push it.

"Okay, okay. _Sorry. _Geez. Where are you planning to go?"

"Chine's."

"I heard it's nice. Tell us if you like it." Paige's eyes brightened when she saw Ellie walk out of the dressing room. She walked over to Paige and gave her a kiss on a cheek.

"We need to get this done quick, Craig. We have a meeting after this," Ellie said, her voice serious, but there was a tone of laughter in it.

The three fashion moguls watched as Craig took pictures of their models in their fashions.

Their minds however were focused on the meeting to come later.

* * *

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	3. Chapter 3

"Thanks Craig. See you next week with the pictures!" Ellie called back as the group left the shoot. They were met in the hallway by Keith who was dressed in designer jeans strategically ripped and a white muscle shirt with silver glitter on the front. His blue eyes where lined with a smear of black from the shoot. He smiled easily at the group as he walked up.

"Hey girls…."

Dylan shot Keith a look that almost made Paige laugh out loud. She couldn't help but snigger behind her hand. Dylan turned his glare to her and she stopped and gave him a smirk. He rolled his eyes at her and turned his glare back to Keith.

"Sorry. Sorry. You didn't let me finish. Hey girls…. and Dylan." Keith saved with a twinkle in his eyes.

Paige loved seeing him like this. He would tease Dylan unmercifully and help keep his spirits up. She already saw the twinkle starting to shine in her brother's eye. "You all have fun at dinner, you hear? You both deserve it." She said with a flick of her hair and her signature smirk.

Keith smiled down at her and asked "Why don't you two join us? I'm sure you could push the meeting till tomorrow."

Ellie and Paige looked at each other uneasily. They had a silent agreement not to tell Dylan about Marco coming back until they were sure on what Marco's intentions were. Paige didn't want to let her brother fall harder in love with Marco only to have him run away again. "Uh… no… sorry. We have to keep it. And you too love birds need some time alone."

When Dylan heard the love bird comment he turned to face Paige; his eyes showing that he was seething. Keith only had to look at his face once before getting into action. He quickly gave both Paige and Ellie a kiss on the cheek before pulling a shocked Dylan towards the door. "Come on Love we have to get there by 5:30 or they will cancel the reservation." They could here him saying loudly as he successfully pulled Dylan out the doors.

They both sighed with relief. Their hands found themselves intertwined as they walked down the hallway towards their office and Lily's desk.

* * *

"Mr. Del Rossi?" 

With a start Marco looked up from his cell phone and saw the secretary calling him with a sweet smile on her face. He readily smiled back though he knew his was probably quite thin. He was a little too nervous for social interaction at the moment.

Casting a weary almost pleading glance around the lobby Marco stood and walked to the kindly woman. "Yes?"

"They are on their way from the shoot. I've been instructed to escort you to the meeting room. Join me?"

The Italian grinned as heartily as he could and waved a hand at the hallway. "Lead the way mia cara," he said, smiling much more genuinely at the furious blush that rushed across the woman's nose. It was amazing and horribly amusing how oddly females acted around him when he spoke in Italian or his accent ever showed through more than usual. For this reason he tried to keep it down, but of course living there for the past few years he couldn't help himself.

"Right this way sir."

He allowed Lilly to guide him down the twisting halls, trying to keep from bumping into others as he stared at the publicity shots lining the walls in bold black and white, splashes of hot pink and black catching his eyes as he turned his head one way to the other. She finally stopped in front of a brushed silver door after an elevator ride up three stories. The company's logo was etched across the door, shining brightly and multi-faceted under the lights.

"Well, I've got to return to my desk. It was nice meeting you Mr. Del Rossi."

The dark man turned and shook her hand in a soft grip. "It was nice to meet you as well. Call me Marco," he said, grinning, watching that adorable flush alight her face once again as the R in his name accidentally came out with a slight roll. The girl only nodded and turned, walking back towards the lobby, leaving Marco alone, just him and door.

After several painful moments of pacing and deliberation Marco finally turned towards the door full on, glaring at it openly and only half expecting it to swing open with an ungodly amount of horror movie creaking. Taking a final breath he stepped forward and grabbed the handle, pulling back and sighing in relief at the soft metallic whoosh that was made as it swung forward. He smiled grimly and stepped into the office, closing the door behind himself, the muffled click of it settling back into its frame seeming overly loud in the deadly silent room.

The office itself was lovely, he thought. Across from him an entire wall was devoted to a window, sparkling and perfectly clear, tinted lightly and allowing a pleasant amount of sunlight to fall in onto the black carpet. With experience he knew that black in interior decorating was a very grave subject. It usually darkened a room beyond repair, especially in such large amounts as an entire floor, but, he mused, whoever did this had a very keen eye.

The walls flashed dazzling white and the desk, chairs, even the picture frames were all of the same brushed silver, winking out mellowly amid all the startling contrast. On the walls huge photos hung, all photo manipulated to have things such as shirts or eyes magically bright pink, as were the company colors. And right behind the desk was the largest picture of all, a very grown up and beautiful Paige, Ellie, and Dylan smiling out to the quiet room.

Marco stared in awe up at the trio, eternally amazed at the sight they made together. They appeared so seamless, so happy and carefree, professional with an air of playful good-naturedness balancing them out. Dylan stood in the middle, a lazy arm around both of the young women's shoulders. He was smiling, though not as stunningly as the other two, but it didn't seem to matter. To Marco he was still as amazing as he had always been. Even in black and white he was still as golden as he remembered him, and blown up to epic proportions like this he could truly believe the way he used to say Dylan was larger than life.

He shook his head, trying to dispel his thoughts. This was several years ago and these mental games would not help him live in this place peacefully. He had to maintain his professional mindset around them.

Nodding his head Marco turned his gaze away from the man in the center and focused his eyes from jumping from woman to the other, taking them in as best he could. Paige was lit up brightly, smiling as if it would fade away if she stopped. Her eyes were crinkled, her laugh lines very clearly defined. And against all the times Paige whined about premature wrinkles in high school, he had to say they suited her wonderfully, if only to know she smiled so often as to gain them. Her hair was littered with hot pink streaks, enhanced with the help of a computer and shining out almost blindingly from the stark black and white, as did her pink shirt.

Ellie perhaps looked the strangest to Marco, if only because the smile on her face was wider than he ever remembered it being. Then again, six years was a long time. But the years had obviously been good for her as well. Her hair was a tad bit longer, falling to her midback now instead of just below her shoulders and still as straight and thick as it had been. His eyes followed the black streaks littering the strands, the most common trademark of the fashion world. Hair in exotic colors was supposed to be a form of beauty and art in itself, which is why most fashion gurus had them, as well as eccentric makeup, though he was glad to say the girls both looked relatively normal in that department, obviously preferring a more natural look.

Marco smiled as he remembered how life _had_ been just before he left for Rome to continue his studies. He had stayed up many nights with Paige and Ellie, to watch them interact if nothing else. He remembered how they had slowly migrated towards each other their junior years, their fights escalating beyond some petty girlhood rivalry to something relatively out of this world. They sniped and insulted and sometimes even ended up pulling hair in hallways.

But sometime during the summer before senior year the feelings shifted. Oh they still fought. Most ruthlessly...but they were also seen chatting amiably in class as well. Somewhere in there, Marco had realized, they had called a truce of sorts. And to make matters worse, they had rather liked said truce.

It wasn't until halfway through twelfth year that their common love for fashion and design caused a great uproar between them and in no time at all nights of homework were spent between them sketching like mad in Paige's kitchen and consuming large amounts of coffee as they threw idea after idea at each other. Marco remembered more often than not the two girls falling asleep together on the couch from outright exhaustion, and not necessarily at opposite ends all the time. It had been an absolute joy to watch them slowly figure it out, though with Dylan's help they added pushes here and there just to be sure.

It wasn't until Christmas that all the waiting and hard work finally paid off. At the Christmas party that, surprisingly enough, Paige and Ellie had planned, organized, and decorated for, they entered and caused an explosion. They had walked into the Michalchuk living room hand in hand, smiling broadly and greeting guests as if positively nothing out of the ordinary had occurred at all, smiling the whole time as if they had unlocked the secrets of the universe.

That was the first time Marco had seen them together as a couple, and with the last few months of school he was allowed to watch that romance between them blossom before his very eyes. It was amazing to watch really. They complimented each other...even when their eyes were spitting fire there was still this overwhelming tenderness and protection shining there. And as their fights grew less and less Marco remembered their smiles had grown more frequent.

Their nightly fashion meetings seemed to have paid off as well, if this building, and this office were any indication. To think he had witnessed the very beginning of it. All those planning sessions that lasted until three a.m. and those thousands upon thousands of sketches that had littered Ellie's room as well as the large posters of magazine cut outs that graced Paige's walls. They ate, slept, and breathed fashion and design and Marco was glad to see that had worked out for them.

Smiling softly he picked up a small, framed photograph off of the desk, tracing a finger over the sweetly kissing couple that were depicted there. He was happy for them as well. Even without the business they were a success all their own. He sat the picture back down and threw himself heavily onto one of the large white chairs, wiggling around until his small frame almost disappeared into it...and he waited.

Ellie squeezed Paige's hand more firmly as she watched the girl bring her unoccupied hand up to her mouth and start biting on her thumbnail, casting bouncing glances around the hallways as they walked but seeming overall very calm. Of course, she knew this woman far better than the casual observer and smiled fondly as she reached over and delicately lowered Paige's hand back to her side.

"You'll ruin your nails you know."

The blonde snorted and rolled her eyes. "For once it doesn't seem like a major upheaval."

"That's only because you're nervous," Ellie countered, smiling a small smile and tugging her forward. "It won't be so bad. It's still Marco after all."

Paige grimaced and waved her free hand enthusiastically. "That's just it! It's Marco! We haven't seen the idiot for six years. What if he's some bitchy model like most of the others? Or...or I don't know!"

Ellie stopped walking and forced Paige to stall as well. "Oh please, Marco never had a bitchy bone in his body. So what if he's a little narcissistic? I'd say it's about time he realized how gorgeous he was all those years. He was always so modest and embarrassed about his looks in high school. And I sincerely doubt he's anything else negative and unwelcome. As you so brilliantly pointed out he's _Marco._"

"You're right," Paige sighed. "Just...if I start crying or something promise you'll throw me out of the room?"

The redhead laughed and leaned in to rest her forehead against the other woman's. "I promise to throw you out on your ass if you start blubbering. You have my word."

Paige pulled away with a smirk and straightened her shirt with critical hands. "Good. Now come on. We have a client waiting." Ellie only rolled her eyes as she was dragged down the remainder of the hallway.

The two woman finally reached the silver and door and quickly pulled it open, assuming their client had not yet made it there, giggling slightly as they tugged each other around. Ellie spun the blonde around in a broad circle, smiling as she watched her hair sweep through the air. Bringing the arch to a stop, the blonde rushed forward and knocked into her slightly, causing them to both snort and giggle again.

And then Ellie looked over her girlfriend's shoulder and noticed they were _not_ in fact as alone as they had thought. Almost curled up in one of the chairs in front of their desk sat an achingly familiar man, almost a carbon copy of the boy she once knew only far more ethereal and beautiful than she ever remembered him to be.

Paige caught sight of the redhead's change in expression and immediately whirled around with wide, round eyes until she too came face to face with the person that was sitting there, staring at them with a small nervous smile.

The air surrounding the three suddenly became very thick, sparks of unease slicing through heavily. The girls stared down him with overly intense gazes, wearing down the young man's resolve as well as his confidence. The silence stretched on for ages it seemed, quiet minutes leading to nowhere and all while the tension grew ever higher.

Finally, after what felt like years, Paige's slack, dumb expression melted into a blinding smile and she rushed forward with the energy and glee of a small child at Christmas, enveloping the Italian man in a tight one-sided hug, her arms warm across his shoulders. He could smell the faint powder and lilac scent wafting off her and smiled lightly as he lifted shaking hands to pat her on the head awkwardly.

Looking over his shoulder he could see Ellie smiling fondly at the pair of them. He nodded in acknowledgement of her before gently forcing the blonde girl off of him. She looked sad for a moment before lighting up all over again, waving her hands wildly and babbling nonstop.

"Oh my God, Marco. It's so good to see you. Why did you leave? Where have you been? How have you been? Why did you leave? Why didn't you call? You look amazing. How did you get into modeling? _Why did you leave_?"

Marco grinned at her never ending spout of questions and looked beyond her again at his redheaded friend. The sparkle in his eyes plainly said "it's nice to see you again"

"Likewise," he replied silently, falling easily back into their wordless conversations where their eyes and their movements did all the talking. She was smiling in a way that showed she was glad he was there and Marco was replying in kind. It was amazing to see her in real life. So very beautiful and bright, Paige as well.

Suddenly a hand made impact with the back of his head and Marco snapped to attention quickly, rubbing the tender spot that had been thwapped so mercilessly. Looming over him the blonde woman glared at him through slit eyes. "You're not even paying attention! Why did you leave?"

Marco smiled and shook his head, making vague shooing motions to the desk in front of him, inviting them to sit down. The two girls did so, Ellie taking residence in the large high backed chair and Paige sitting on the edge of the desk, both staring at him intently.

The Italian man sighed and settled back in his chair. He stared off out the window and thought a bit about how to word it. Eventually he just gave up and said what came to mind first, and luckily, it was the truth.

"I got a college offer in Roma."

Paige's expression turned sarcastic in a heartbeat. "We know this. Doesn't answer why you never called."

Marco's face tightened and his eyes dropped to his hands quickly. "I didn't exactly think you'd want to speak to me after I ran off like that. Plus you all seemed so happy. I figured a quick, relatively painless escape would be best."

For the second time during this meeting a hand made brutal impact with the back of his head. "Holy...OW! Is that absolutely necessary!" he bit out with a scowl as he looked up at a very self-satisfied blonde woman.

"You are in a world of trouble, Delstudly. How in the hell could you think we'd all be happy after you left like that? We're were in tears for weeks you bastard!"

Ellie shot up from where she had been sitting behind the desk and rushed around the edges to Paige, leaning in to whisper in her ear, saying who knew. Marco watched and continued rubbing at the back of his poor head as Ellie assumedly calmed the other girl down. He noticed her eyes were rather glassy.

Paige finally pulled away and said a quick thank you before turning back to the dark man. "Fine then. So...you left for college. You never came back though. Why is that?"

"Right after I got my degree I got a job in an advertising company to earn back some of the money after the college loans so I could get a first round trip back to Toronto. But I was leaving the agency one day when my, um, boyfriend at the time came up to me and told me they had a business proposition for me. Come to find they wanted me to start as a model. It wasn't anything big...but at the time...it erm, meant a lot to me. So I stayed and clawed my way through the ranks until I was the undeclared cover model of the company. But the business has been doing badly as of late and they're merging with several other companies. And well...here I am," he said with a sheepish smile, spreading his arms apart as if to say "ta da."

The girls however were not impressed. "You stayed in Italy for a guy?" Paige questioned in a disgusted voice.

"God, you make it sound so horrible. I did a lot of things when I was still dating Dylan, including graduating early. So it's not so surprising. Honestly," Marco growled out, shifting guiltily in his chair and avoiding looking in their eyes.

Ellie however came to his rescue. "That's understandable. We just missed you is all. I wish you'd have atleast called. We had thought you had died or married some girl or some other repulsive thing until we saw your face on the Domani adds. Which I might add you were stunning."

The redhead watched as the Italian man blushed horribly and smiled self-consciously. Paige turned and shared a look with Ellie, raising her eyebrows. How could a model be _modest_? This was unheard of.

"Well, um, thank you. But, erm, anyway, they said that my best bet with my particular mix of looks was what your company was in search of. So they threw me on a plane straight to Toronto."

Paige nodded and started digging through one of the desks drawers, pulling out a thick sheath of paperwork. "Yes, you have something that we've been trying to capture in our advertising for ages. So...let's get started? I can't wait to have you back. Not to mention, now it'll be me bossing you around instead of the other way again," the girl said with an evil grin.

Marco smirked and carried on another wordless conversation with Ellie, grinning widely when she rolled her eyes and said with her eyes that Paige was actually a giant pushover. They continued this for awhile before drifting into a comfortable silence. Everyone soaking in everyone else's presence.

Until suddenly Paige asked softly, "Are you here to stay?"

Marco couldn't help but think she was talking about something other than the job. Her usually twinkling eyes were dim but there was an odd glow that appeared when she was talking about someone… Dylan.

The reality of what she was asking crashed down on him. She was asking would he leave again. If anything over a friendly relationship with Dylan happened and it didn't work, would he run away again? Could he work with Dylan as an employer if nothing else? Could he have a friendly relationship with Dylan? Could he not let his personal life interfere with his job? Marco's brain was about to overload with all the thoughts and questions swirling in there. Though he couldn't promise he nodded yes anyway.

All at once he was enveloped in a bear hug from Paige, before she opened the door and almost shot out of it. Calling the whole time for them to follow her and then to Lily to set up a reservation at a restaurant for dinner.

Ellie and Marco both stood up staring at each other for a minute before the taller girl hooked her arm through Marco's elbow. While they walked down the hallway following the voice of Paige, she leaned down and whispered in his ear, "Welcome back Del Rossi, welcome back."

* * *

Dylan was still mumbling when the waitress sat them down. He ran his hands through his hair while he read the menu. 

"What are you mad at me now for?" Keith said running his own hands over his hair. An edge could be detected in his voice.

"You had to agree with her. You let her say that-"

"Hun, she was just teasing us. I've learned from experience that it's better to agree with Michalchuk stubbornness then arguing. And anyway if I let you two argue we would have missed the 5:30 reservation." Keith said with a slight whine at the end which Dylan couldn't tell if he was joking or not.

Dylan stopped mumbling but was still pouting when the waitress left with their dinner orders.

"Honey, what is this really about?" Keith asked cocking his head to the side to examine Dylan.

"I don't want to lead you on. I don't want anything but a friendly relation-,"

Keith interrupted him, "Look Dylan I know. Although I don't understand why you wouldn't want to be with someone as handsome as me," He stroke a model pose that made Dylan role his eyes with a slight smile playing on his lips, "I know that you don't want a romantic relationship. And nothing that your sister would say would change that. You shouldn't let people work you up like that. One day it could cause you to have a stroke from stress… or kill them. Not sure which"

"Yeah I guess." Dylan smiled at the younger man who was one of his closest friends. The conversation grew into more interesting things as their dinner arrived.

Just as Dylan was starting to truly get all the way relaxed Keith asked, " What would you do if Marco came back?"

Dylan thanked his lucky stars as a large beep made him take out his palm pilot right then. It reminded him that he was to have an important phone call in less then fifteen minutes. He stood up quickly, "Oh my god. I am so sorry Keith but I've got to go back to the office I forgot that I have a really important phone call. I'll get John to come back to pick you up once he drops me off at the office. I have my car there."

He gave a bewildered Keith a kiss on the cheek before jogging out of the restaurant.

* * *

Paige was still bouncing ahead of them, chatting cheerfully with Lilly as he and Ellie approached at a more leisurely pace, silent as the dead but saying enough with their eyes. He was content to watch the way Ellie smiled softly at the blonde as they walked. It was enough to make that large photograph in their office seem pale in the face of the real thing. 

As they finally entered the lobby Paige swaggered over and peeled the red head's arm off of his, pulling her a couple of feet away and glaring at Marco possessively with good humor in her eyes. Ellie appeased the woman by kissing her cheek before turning to speak to Lilly quietly. Paige took this time to attach herself to his arm as well.

"You're still gay right?" she asked on a giggle watching her significant other talk to their secretary.

The Italian rolled his eyes and nodded emphatically. "Yes, still very much gay. Ellie is safe."

Paige stuck her tongue out and let go of his arm. As she walked away she spoke softly over her shoulder. "Wasn't Ellie I was worried about."

Marco stared after her with wide eyes, wondering just exactly what she meant.

* * *

Dylan rushed out of the parked car and thanked John before walking as quickly as possible towards the glass entrance of Pellie Designs. He had exactly ten minutes to reach his office before the head of the Domani Fashion Agency called. If he was lucky he'd get a few minutes to mentally prepare himself. 

Humming to the cheesy elevator music filtering into the building Dylan all but sprinted through the main lobby, waving a hand at Lilly, and after spotting his sister on the way, winked sweetly before turning to continue his run upstairs.

As he turned away from the blonde woman suddenly a warm wall made impact with his chest. He felt his eyes snap shut in anticipation of the crash and resulting crash. Vaguely he registered small hands grabbing onto his shoulders until his loss of equilibrium became more important than who was clinging to him.

Feeling his entire body topple forward, uncomfortably aware the wall wasn't as sturdy as he had presumed it to be, Dylan felt the thud as his body, and what he assumed to be another man's, hit the polished marble floor with a rather lurching amount of force.

Dylan shook his head dazedly and allowed his eyes to flash open, millions of hurried apologies already flowing out of his mouth as he started to push himself up.

Until a pair of familiar brown eyes fluttered open beneath him and stared up at him in wonder.

"M-Marco?"

* * *

Thank you all for the continuing wonderful reviews! They're very much appreciated. Keep them coming!


	4. Chapter 4

GASP. It's an ACTUAL chapter of ATG. Sorry you guys, but there's a surprise at the end.

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Dylan shook his head dazedly and allowed his eyes to flash open, millions of hurried apologies already flowing out of his mouth as he started to push himself up.

Until a pair of familiar brown eyes fluttered open beneath him and stared up at him in wonder.

"M-Marco?"

If the fall seconds ago had rattled his brain, the realization of just _who_ he was laying on was like a two by four hitting him square between the eyes. For endless seconds Dylan stared down into the familiar brown eyes from years ago completely dumbfounded, unable to procure a single thought beyond "wow."

It wasn't so much that Marco was gorgeous. He had always been after all, as Dylan of all people could tell you, but now he was...out of this world, hair fanned out behind him across the polished black marble floor and eyes wide and liquid, surrounded by that faint kohl line. If he wasn't so shell-shocked he'd be curious as to how his self-control had lasted so long being splayed across such a beautiful creature. But then his brain was blissfully numb as he tried to process just _why_ he was here when he should have been safely far away in Rome, and not, well, directly underneath him.

Swallowing thickly Dylan shook his head vigorously and began to get up off the smaller man still feeling off balance. Whether from the fall or the loss of that wonderful heat he didn't know. The fact that his thoughts kept straying so easily was not very comforting. Marco was climbing back to his feet, eyes locked with his shrewdly and Dylan was having a hard time convincing himself to look away.

As if hearing his inner debate Paige rushed forward and forced him to break eye contact. "Dylan! You're back early!"

The blonde dazedly turned to his sister and briefly wondered if his facial expression really was as humorous as he thought it might be. "Huh?" he gurgled, his brain still working furiously to take in the situation he was found himself in.

"You," she said. "Here early. Why?"

Dylan shook his head to clear it and blinked rapidly. "Uh, phone call. Right. I've got a phone call waiting in my office."

Paige looked a bit put out at that but quickly latched an arm onto Dylan, smiling up sweetly. "How long do you think that would take? I'd like you to come to dinner with us."

He realized, too late, that Marco was in this "us" and was already nodding dumbly. "T-ten minutes. We're just arranging a meeting."

The blonde girl smiled brightly and jumped up to kiss his cheek, letting go of him quickly. "Then hurry up there! We'll wait!"

Distractedly running his hands through his hair Dylan cast a final sidelong glance at the Italian boy who was steadfastedly staring at the floor before turning and all but sprinting to the elevators wondering how he could have missed the white rabbit running by.

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Marco stared at his toes even as he heard the muted "ping" of the elevator and mentally beat his head against a wall. If he had to pick a way to finally come in contact with Dylan, well, the present situation would have been the outright last. His head and arse rather agreed with him as well. It was all so unfair.

Paige was smiling at him reassuringly and Marco wished it was actually helping. He all the sudden wished he was back in Italy all over again.

To make matters worse, Dylan in real life was about a million times more intimidating than in the large photograph in the office.

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Dinner turned out to be a god awful affair, not because it was awkward or full of silence but because Paige kept _talking._ Marco picked at his salad nervously as Paige yet again regaled him with tales of the business growing. It wasn't that he wasn't interested or that he didn't care...he really did and he was proud of them both...but he was fighting tooth and nail in the hopes to ignore Dylan as best he could.

Not for lack of trying certainly. Many a time Paige tried to initiate something between them and each and every time Marco found a way to shift the attention on someone else rather than answer. Granted there were other instances in which he was indeed forced into conversation with the blonde and he did so politely, though stiffly.

Quite frankly, preparing himself on the plane and in the girls' office did little to prepare him for the sheer reality it was to see him real life once again after such a long time. He'd slimmed down a lot, his muscles still hanging around but not as obvious. He was altogether more fluid and graceful, his actions careful and smooth. Never in all his years did he think someone could go through such a drastic change and stay exactly the same all at once. But apparently Dylan was a great exception.

Dylan smiled gently at jokes, appreciative but careful to stay at a level volume as if completely aware of everyone watching. His eyes moved incessantly but if you were speaking to him they never wavered whatsoever, completely intent and focused on you and you alone in case he missed a single word.

It was...odd for Marco really. He knew that everyone changed as they grew up and found their place in the world. He himself was...a lightyear away from his high school self. But he guessed in some ways he had never really expected Dylan of all people to change. Maybe because he had been the most steadfast figure he'd known growing up. Dylan had always been sunnily sweet and supportive if not slightly stormy at times throughout his entire high school experience. Never once had he changed in an extreme way. So seeing him so very subtley different after so long was...quite a discovery.

He was still trying to decide if it was a pleasant one.

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Dinner was finally over and Ellie gave a large sigh of relief. Her lovely blonde fiancé talked the entire dinner long, and while she loved Paige, she definitely needed to learn when to _shut up_.

Marco had continuously fidgeted in his seat especially when Paige had tried to initiate some conversation between Dylan and the brunette. She couldn't help rolling her eyes a few times, which Paige hadn't noticed but consequently Dylan had. The last one he had caught, he gave her a wink and moved the conversation off Marco and onto Paige yet again. Ellie had gave him a small smile of thanks and continued to watch over the dinner like a mother hen, just waiting to push her chick, Paige, back into line if she pushed her other one, Marco, to hard.

"Do you need a ride to your hotel?" Ellie asked Marco, gracefully cutting off Paige who was still talking.

"No, I called a cab when I went to the restroom." He said, giving Ellie a small smile and ignoring Paige who was pouting at Dylan pointedly wanting him to ask to escort Marco home. The blonde though, gave a quick shake of his curls, to show he wasn't going to push himself into Marco's bubble. Ellie noticed this and quickly ushered Marco outside, and away from the siblings.

"It's good to have you back Marco." She gave the man a hug, in which he returned warmly.

"Thanks, El. Can't quite say I'm ready to say the same." He moved closer to the street as the taxi drove up.

"I know," was the Ellie's whisper into the night as the taxi drove away.

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Inside, the siblings were not doing so well. Dylan had started berating her once Ellie and Marco left. "You didn't need to do that."

"Do what?" she shot back, the image of innocence.

"Don't Paige. I know you too well and you don't want to have me make a fool of you," Dylan said, running his hands through his hair and glaring at her.

"What? So I was trying to help you along. You know you want him," she shot back, matter-of – factly sipping her coffee.

"Okay, since I don't want to lie or play your mind games, I'll admit, I might still like him. But that doesn't mean I need your help. Didn't you notice him squirming? I don't need or want you to do anything; especially if he doesn't want it. I'm a big boy now Paige. I can handle it myself." He rolled his eyes and started to drink his water.

"So is this admitting you needed my help before," she asked while fingers fiddled with rings and she changed her posture into a more comfortable position the eyebrow raising all the while.

Dylan gave Paige a sly smile, "Maybe, Maybe not."

Paige sighed exhaustedly, "Why do I love you?"

"Because if you didn't I might spill the fact that you slept with a blanket till you were thirteen."

"I did not"

"Did too."

"Did not."

"Did not, what?" Ellie asked as she had just arrived back from escorting Marco to the cab.

"Nothing," Paiges said quickly, cutting off Dylan who was just about to spill.

Ellie grabbed Paige's hands and interlaced their fingers, "Will you do me a favor?"

Paige quirked in eyebrow, "Yeah…"

"If Marco is going to work with us, you need to leave him alone. At least until he gets his bearings." Ellie looked into Paige's eyes to make sure she understood she was being serious.

"I wasn't doing anything!" Paige cried throwing her hands up into the air. Both Dylan and Ellie gave her looks that told her they didn't believe her; Dylan gave her a mix between the Michalchuk glare and a raised eyebrow and Ellie gave her a raised eyebrow and a smirk. "Okay, so maybe I was. Leave me alone. I'll leave him alone."

"Good." Ellie smiled brightly, "Now come on dearest it's getting late. We'll see you in the morning Dylan!"

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Keith stood beside the elevator in the lobby utterly bored. Dylan had ditched him at dinner, again, and here he waited at his building for him to get back. He didn't have a key to his apartment despite any past history and basically the only way in was through the intercom system. This was of course made more difficult by the fact that no one was upstairs to ring him up.

Damn the man, he thought in his head. The lobby was too warm and he was sure his make up from the shoot earlier that day was dripping down his face by this point.

Just as he was considering giving up and going to his own apartment a few blocks over a familiar wild tangle of blonde curls appeared from outside. Suddenly he didn't fell so mad anymore, only light, and as Dylan stepped into the lobby he crossed over to him quickly.

"Where have you been?!" he asked half hysterically, both his hands coming to rest on Dylan's shoulders. "You were gone three whole hours!"

"I had dinner with the girls…." Dylan peered down at Keith obviously confused, "Why are you here? How long have you been waiting?"

Keith gave a sheepish shrug, "You left your palm at the restaurant. I figured I'd just head you off. I wasn't expecting to have to wait an hour and a half."

Dylan gave him a small smile, "Sorry…"

Keith started to search through his bag for it, when he pulled it up Dylan was staring at him. "Wha-"

Warm lips descended over his own and Keith absently let his hands fall back to their previous position on the taller man's shoulders, palm digging gently into his collar bone as he held on. Dylan had always been very talented in all things kissing, as he had learned very early on in their relationship, and now was no different. Even as he relaxed and began kissing back, mouth parting and allowing entrance, he knew exactly what the blonde man was trying to do. With him Dylan had never been overly free with affection, whether it be an arm around his shoulder or kissing, or even sex. He only did it when he was trying to prove a point, or if he needed it. Being in a relationship, for Dylan, was never just about doing it for the fun of it.

But Keith was having trouble caring at the moment as the other man began to bite at his lower lip. Damn, he was shameless.

Pulling away with a greater show of self-restraint Keith all but giggled as he pushed Dylan back with the hands still lying comfortably on his shoulders. "Heel, I need to go home."

To his utter surprise, and distant excitement, Dylan only stepped right back into his personal space. "Or you could stay here."

There were so many things that Keith knew, just knew, his brain should be thinking about, but the only thing he could think about was how much he wanted to.

"Okay."

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So, guess what? Lucy and I have another whole chapter waiting for you guys already done and ready. All you need to do is review and let us know you're all out there still reading.


	5. Chapter 5

As promised ladies and gentlemen, chapter five. And I must say thank you for the wonderful feedback. That was truly amazing.

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Paige's office was much like that of the meeting room. The room was large with high ceilings and large windows. It relied much on natural light. The walls where that distinct perfect, snow white and her desk, while wooden chestnut, had inlays of silver.

The room was formal, which is why Paige was hardly ever in it. She had a cubicle in the artist room, a large room decorated much like the meeting room but had the grey corkboard-like walls between everyone's desks. Ellie and Paige also worked together in the meeting room and they did just that often enough that Paige wasn't in the office.

Above her desk on the wall behind it hung the same picture that was in meeting room, it was a sort of logo for the company. On the walls hung pictures that she picked out herself. There were lots of her with Ellie and Dylan, together or separately. There was a picture of her parents and of everyone together as a family. In one corner there were high school pictures that Paige had wanted to hang up, but didn't want to draw attention to as they annoyed Ellie. There was one of her and Alex when they had dated and one of Spin. Sometimes she'd stare at them all afternoon, for no reason at all.

Today, she sat at her large overbearing chair and sipped her coffee, flipping through the pages of her _Vogue_. She scrutinized each page, looking for tips or up and coming trends that they, the company, needed to get a jump on. She smiled as she reached one of their layouts. When, she had finished that magazine, she picked up the next and started flipping through that.

There was a loud whooshing noise, which was her door opening, they had gone for the authentic warehouse look and the door was a metal slide like the one from RENT, and Marco walked in. He took in the room, while Paige just stared at him, one confused eyebrow rising, "Darling, why are you here?"

"Uh… Lily told me to report to you." He ran his hands down his jeans in what Paige could tell was a very nervous way. She still had the eyebrow raised in a confused blank way and he started backing up towards the door.

She shook her head, and smiled, "Don't leave. Just sorry, I was expecting Ellie to want to take care of you today." She grabbed the phone and typed in a number code that connected her to Lily's phone, "Lil, where's Ellie?"

"OH. Crap. Yeah …yeah."

"WHAT?!? Are you sure?"

"Get Dylan. Tell him no ifs or but's. He's the only one tall enough."

Marco's face was in a stuck in an expression of bemused confusion when she turned back to him. She gave him a smile, "It seems that you're stuck with me today. And everything went wrong on the day that Ellie had a meeting."

He raised an interested eyebrow and she sighed "Our one model that's over six foot four got sick. He can't come in for the shoot and this is our, 'Come to our Fashion Show during Fashion Week' shoot. It's to run in a lot of magazines. So it means I have to see if I can talk Dylan into doing the shoot. He hates modeling. Oh, you have no problems in getting a little personal eh?"

Marco had almost turned off the blonde's consistent chatter, paying enough attention to understand what she was saying, but not really caring. That last question though, it made his eyes bulge, "Personal?"

"Kissing?" she rolled her eyes, "You do know we are known for pushing the issue with our shoots right? One of the only designers to have gay kissing in a shoot?"

He did know. It had created quite a stir in the media. He remembered reading about it. He had applauded it, though he said nothing to his employers or his co-workers. Times in Italy where a lot different then here in Canada. He really didn't have a reason to turn down. He had done shoots with kissing before, just not like this, especially in a shoot that he found out that his ex was going to be participating in. "Yeah. I guess…"

Paige nodded, almost understanding the concern, "It won't be with Dylan." And she quickly led him out her door and towards the rooms where they did shoots. Marco barely had time to comprehend what she had said, but he internally sighed in relief. Only for a moment though, some of him thought it might be easier to kiss Dylan, even if it was awkward. He at least knew him. But he said nothing about his feelings.

Several flights down Paige pulled him out of the elevator, breezily walking down the familiar brightly lit black and white hallways, opening one of the doors and pushing him inside.

The room was a familiar sight to him, everything beyond the standstill camera complete pristine, stark white and everything behind it was utter chaos as makeup artists, hair stylists, photographers and fashion consultants bustled around in something approaching nervous grace.

Paige grabbed his elbow, pulling him along through the works before throwing him into a chair, motioning for a man nearby with dark hair stylishly flying over his head. "Robbie sweetie, could you take care of Marco for me? We're running a tad bit behind."

The man smiled brightly and jumped- no, bounced- behind Marco, running long fingers through his hair with obvious excitement. "Hello beautiful. Marco is it? My, my, they're getting hotter everyday aren't they?" he muttered to himself as he continued to fondly access every hair upon his head before turning to Paige looking giddier by the second. "Oh you do love me, Paige. What would you like?"

Marco glanced at Paige with wide eyes, fearing for his life and hoping he was making his feelings very clear. The blonde woman only smiled. "I want something more refined, probably bring in the curls and pull it away from his face alright? How are Dylan and Keith coming along?"

"Dylan walked in swearing like a madman. Nearly had to excuse myself if you know what I mean. Man's got eyes that can get anyone to stand at attention," he finished, glancing very obviously down at his crotch before winking at Paige. Marco held in laughter, clapping a hand over his mouth as he glanced at the flamboyant man in the mirror behind him, still talking ninety words a minute on all of his ex-boyfriend's favorable traits.

"Wouldn't mind pulling that man into a dark-"

"Robbie, honey? We're on a tight schedule," Paige finally cut in with a strained smile, patting him on the shoulder. "Marco, you're in capable hands, so I'm going to go check up on the other two. Robbie, fifteen minutes. Make him shine."

Marco gulped, smiling nervously at the stylist, hoping he'd live for the next fifteen minutes.

-----------------

Exactly twelve minutes later Marco was led to the brightly lit white expanse of the shooting stage and was left to stand there uncomfortably. His hair had been attacked with all manner of styling gels and sprays, now down, tumbling to the top of his shoulders in its natural curls, still wet to the touch and most of it pulled back into a pony tail. He nervously fiddled with the sleeves of the long white shirt that had been thrown at him minutes earlier, and resisted the urge to rub at his eyes, where the fresh ring of eyeliner caused them to itch terribly.

Hearing the bustling of the room finally come to a pause, Marco looked up from his nervous fingers to see the other two men coming onto set and he swallowed tightly. Dylan's hair had been left much like his own and his skin had very little makeup, a shirt, much the same as his, only black, rested on his broad shoulders seductively and Marco felt his mouth go distinctly dry.

However, a glance from Keith caused his eyes to avert quickly. Even he could admit the other man was intimidating. The hot pink dress shirt he had been fitted in didn't even detract from his fear factor as he towered over Marco at one of his sides.

"Alright, lovely. First ten minutes just get relaxed, I don't even care if you smile," Paige called out from beside the photographer, grinning widely at her small masterpiece.

Marco felt his own small smile show up just a bit as Paige gave the suggestion, but also at the fact that he doubted he could relax whatsoever. The bright, blinding flashes began as soon as his smile appeared and, as always, he fought against the urge to blink or wince, instead, letting his shoulders relax into a more natural pose, smile melting away as he fought to throw a more serious glance at the camera, ignoring his urges to laugh.

The two men at his sides did the same, not looking at one another, lifting chins and turning here and there when instructed to do so. The shoot went on for ages it felt like, all three of them very slowly being told to move closer in and reveal more skin. Marco very quickly began to feel uncomfortable, but pushed the discomfort away, trying to remain as stoic as he could, even as Paige instructed Keith kiss Dylan behind him.

--------------------

Dylan loved his sister. He really did. He loved her just as much as Marco loved Ellie. He could and had stood beside her throughout the years and the bickers. He had allowed her as a teenager to help him dress and prepare for dates and such things, though, he'd always changed last minute to her despair. He had stood her ideas of who he should date and the set ups, all the plans; all the knowing looks and smirks.

Modeling for her, though, that was the one thing that drove him crazy. He had done it before. It was hard, being so tall in a company that seemed to never have but one model of the required height. So as always, when that one got sick or had other engagements, and they always seemed too, his sister or Ellie or both would con him into working.

He could understand he had a body that would work for a model, the attributes for one, and so on. Keith had always tried to explain to him when he got pissed and blew up on the way home. But he never did have the patience or the seemingly easy grace that even large men like Keith, who was only a few inches shorter than Dylan himself, had. He always felt awkward and gawky, and utterly inept around them. When Marco had walked onto the set earlier, he had moved with feline grace, even more so than he had in high school.

He also hated the way that the shoots made him feel oddly exposed and somewhat guilty even though in all truth he should have fun kissing Keith. They were dating officially as of the night before, though, he knew that neither Keith nor he had told the girls. But yet again Paige had her all knowing smirk, the one that annoyed him the most, and her sugar-sweet voice that almost seemed to drip honey as he leaned in, drawing the other blonde man into a heated kiss, being sure stall it every few breathy moments so the camera didn't blur out.

Just as soon as he pulled away from his boyfriend, feeling dizzy and uncomfortably warm, he heard Paige order Marco and Keith to kiss, and he felt his heart stop beating for one endless moment.

Beside him Keith robotically did as he was told, having done this far too many times. He leaned down, pulling the shorter Italian man up to meet his lips in a kiss that Dylan couldn't ever remember seeing so sexual at a shoot, but considering Paige stayed quiet he assumed it was only his imagination. Marco looked uncomfortable but soon his hands rose to rest on Keith's shoulder and suddenly the burning heat of jealousy started in his stomach. He was sure this jealousy was for Keith at first, after all, why shouldn't it be? His ex-boyfriend was being kissed by him after all. But he felt his eyes slowly glide to land on Marco's face, relaxed and perfectly, fakely ardent for the camera, and felt that same fire burn higher. He internally grimaced and made a promise to himself.

Tomorrow, no matter what Paige or Ellie said, he was posting an ad for a load of models his height.

-----------------

A few minutes, Paige clapped her hands and ordered the models for a wardrobe change and a set change. The set designers and assistants went straight to work, moving quickly and methodically.

Robbie and Kathy stood awaiting their commands and their models. Paige's face twisted slightly for a few seconds giving both Dylan and Marco looks, "Marco, hair straight and unruly; get him into the black pants with the red vest ensemble. Dylan, hair pulled all the way back again, we want it to not be unruly; white vest gray loose pants ensemble. Wipe off excess eyeliner; get it as smooth and straight as possible. I'll take care of Keith. Go." She shooed them off and Keith and herself were left watching the set being set up. One of the assistants had brought a mirror and q-tip so Keith could fix his liner.

Silence fell upon the two of them as Paige talked quietly to some of the assistants and Keith concentrated getting the liner fixed. He sighed dramatically when he was done, "So, why couldn't I be coddled?"

"Because you can do it yourself," was her cool reply her smirk in place. "So how do you think the shoot is going?"

He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, "Don't you think the kissing is going a little far? I don't know if Dylan appreciates it. Or Marco for that matter."

She smirked, "You give me too much credit in the interest of my brother's love life. I'm just doing my job. All our shoots have kissing. It's not my fault that it happens to that the three of you are the models we're using."

He raised an eyebrow as if to say 'right,' and opened his mouth to say something, but both Marco and Dylan appeared, and Paige signaled Kathy to take Keith back to change.

He smirked but disappeared behind the divider with a whisper, "This isn't over"

Paige had a large smile as both, Marco and Dylan, walked over too her dressed and styled almost as she had asked. "Beautiful."

Marco wore loose cut black pants that fell exactly at his ankles in straight lines. His shirt was a dark red button up shirt and he had a tie of almost the same color, but was made out of shiny satin instead of the matte cotton. Over the shirt and Tie, was a red vest that was made out of silk. The print was of reddish tint and had raised ribs on it.

Dylan wore grayish white pants that were loose in the legs. They still had complete control however, they were far from saggy. The shirt was black, the tie white and they were the same fashion of that of Marco's. His vest was shiny white satin with little pearl buttons. It was almost girly if you just looked at the clothes, but on the model, or Dylan for that matter, it did not take away masculinity whatsoever.

"Let's get you set up now," she led them into the new set, an office space. It wasn't very elaborate just a desk and a couple of chairs strewn around but the effect was to focus on the men and not the furniture. "Alright Dylan you'll be sitting on the desk please. I'm afraid you're _too_ tall next to Marco without Keith to even you two out," Paige muttered pointed to her brother in full on boss mode at this point. "This of course leaves you standing Marco, but I want a slight lean against the desk- yes just like that. Good."

She stared at her small masterpiece for a moment before realizing she had been completing ignoring the third of her trio. "Keith," she called, without even looking behind her. The man in question walked up beside her, outfitted much the same as the other two but in shades of brown. "Keith, stand near the wall with a file in your hand. Be sure to attempt to keep your face mostly downturned through the whole shoot. You have nice eyebrows so we'll work off of that."

Her players took their positions and she eyed them critically almost like a painter would eye their work. "Marco, I want you to smile quite a bit at first, it suits you best. And Dylan just keep focused on Marco's face please. We need to mimick conversation."

"All right boys," she finally snapped, clapping her hands together. "Let's give the masses a show."

Lights fell into place and so did her actors, frozen in time as they glued themselves into the positions they were instructed to do. Minutes ticked by, measured only by the camera flashes and again the men were forced closer together. Whether Keith noticed he was left near the back and hanging around the desk chair he made no remark. But Paige was making it a point to have Marco walk closer to the seated Dylan with every passing flash and Dylan was swiftly beginning to notice. Catching Marco's face, as he was instructed to keep his eyes locked on the other's, he could vaguely tell, behind the plastered on face, that Marco was just as observant.

"Perfect, now I need the kiss for the last few shots boys. Marco if you wouldn't mind. Probably don't even touch, just bare-"

"Paige!" Dylan shrieked, instantly losing his composure as Marco was already systematically moving closer. As a model he rarely turned down the instructions. To him, a kiss for the camera was just a kiss for the camera, nothing more, even if his heart was eating him alive inside. Modeling was his career after all. But Dylan however, didn't make it a habit to model alongside his employees and thus had no problem objecting loudly.

"You promised you wouldn't do this!" he roared, sliding off of the desk and stalking over to her, leaving Marco and Keith in their same frozen spots, watching wide-eyed. "Why don't you mind your fucking job instead of playing matchmaker! Do you not realize how much this event relies on the money it's going to take in? Well I do Paige! I do the books remember...not model. So get someone without history to makeout with your models!"

Words still ringing in the small room, Dylan stocked off, yanking at the white tie around his neck as he went. Marco only looked at Paige expectantly, wondering exactly what her plans had been all along for this shoot and whether he could trust her now. Despite their tight friendship, Marco hoped Ellie was in charge of his next shoot.

Taking a quick glance at Keith next to him Marco couldn't help but hope it wasn't with him either.

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And just to keep up hope here, we are working on the next chapter already. Quite the plans they are. So stay tuned in and leave us a review so we know where we're going!


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